PC Tips: How To Increase Your Internet Speed

If you use Windows XP Professional then it is possible to squeeze an extra 20% out of your internet connection. By default Windows XP Pro holds back 20% of your Internet speed for various services like windows update and spyware checks.

If you want to tap into this locked speed then make the following changes:

1. Go to Start-> Run-> and type gpedit.msc
2. Expand the Administrative Templates branch
3. Expand the Network tab
4. Highlight QoS Packet Scheduler
5. Click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth and check the enabled box
6. Then Change the Bandwidth limit % to 0 %

Once you have done this click apply and restart your PC. After rebooting you should see a noticeable improvement in your net speed.

Source:  PCTipsBox

PC Tips: Converting Vista to Windows 7

Windows 7 is popular this days. So why not have a Vista with a Windows 7 theme and taskbar.

Step 1. Download and Install EnhancMyVista. Link

EnhanceMyVista

Step 2. Click Customizations Tab and click TaskBar Option. Check the box: Iconize you taskbar.

Step 3. Save and Close the program. Restart your PC.

Step 4. Right click on the taskbar and uncheck lock taskbar. Select View >>> Large Icons.

Step 5. Download Aero VG them and install it using VistaGlazz utility.

Aero VG | VistaGlazz

Note: After installing VistaGlazz utility, copy the downloaded vista themes into C:\Windows\Resources\Themes. Then right click on the desktop >>> personalize >>> Themes and apply new themes.

Step 6. After all that tweaks you will see the new look of your taskbar.

Hope you like your new taskbar.

PC Tips: How to Buy a New PC. Tips for Shoppers.

With so many factors to consider, deciding which desktop PC to buy can be a real challenge. From components to software to accessories, new PCs offer a bewildering array of choices. For some folks, sifting through the large number of options can be daunting.

Get What You Need

Today, almost any PC on the market can more than adequately handle such standard office chores as word processing and spreadsheets, as well as basic Internet functions like e-mail and general browsing. So for $1000 or less, you can get a PC that will suit most people’s needs.

If you want to edit digital video or manage a large database, however, you may need more than the basics. Typically, you won’t have to spend more than $1500 or $2000 for a system that will suit you today and serve you well for the next few years.

The best way to pay only for what you need is to carefully consider what you want to do with your system now, and try to anticipate what might interest you next year. Specific applications call for certain types of hardware, whether at home or in the office.

When you’re ready to buy a desktop PC, get what you need. Here are some recommendations for the average user’s minimum requirements. You may want to print out this article and keep it with when you shop.

A 2.66-GHz Pentium 4 or Athlon XP 2800+ Processor. For everyday work, word processing, spreadsheets, and e-mail, you don’t need the latest, greatest, and most expensive processor. When current processors of the same clock speed were compared in PC World tests, processors from Advanced Micro Devices performed some tasks faster than Intel’s offerings.

At Least 256MB of Memory. Anything less will slow your work, especially if you plan to use Windows XP. Buy as much as you can afford, up to 512MB.

The Right Windows. Most home and office PC users should find Windows XP Home a perfectly acceptable operating system. You should drop the extra $100 for Windows XP Professional only if you want to take advantage of management features such as Remote Desktop, which lets users control the computer remotely over the Internet.

Be Careful With Integrated AGP Graphics. Before you buy a computer with integrated graphics, ask if it has an AGP slot. If it doesn’t, you won’t be able to upgrade your graphics chip.

Subwoofers Improve Sound. Adding a sound system with a subwoofer (a large speaker that produces very low bass tones) can dramatically improve the sound quality of a home system, even if the speaker set is inexpensive. In the office, however, a booming subwoofer may trigger an uprising among your coworkers.

A Big Monitor. Unless you’re really pinching pennies, consider a large monitor. A 19-inch CRT monitor lets you see your documents with greater definition (or at a higher resolution) than 17-inch or smaller displays. Better yet, get yourself a new 17-inch LCD monitor. It takes up less space on your desk; it’s easier on your eyes; and it only costs about $150 more than a 19-inch CRT. And LCD prices keep falling, so watch for bargains.

A CD-RW or Recordable DVD Drive. Now that most PC manufacturers have dumped the 1.44MB floppy disk drive, a recordable DVD or CD-RW drive is essential for data storage and transfer. Both allow you to back up important documents (700MB on a CD, 4.7GB on a DVD), share files with colleagues, and create custom audio or video CDs or DVDs. If you need to back up massive amounts of data or entire hard drives, choose the DVD option.

A 60GB or Larger Hard Drive. A 20GB hard drive is fine for simple word processing or Web browsing tasks, but you’ll likely fill that hard drive pretty quickly. In the long run it’s best to buy more storage space than you think you’ll need. Today’s largest hard drives reach 300GB. Unless you’re planning to use your PC as a mini server for your office database or for electronic entertainment, a drive with less capacity than that may be more cost effective.

Connectivity Up Front. Many PCs now offer a pair of USB ports on the front bezel, so you can connect multiple peripherals without having to reach behind the case. If you have lots of gear to plug into the PC, look for systems with up-front FireWire (IEEE 1394) or USB 2.0 ports, or optical audio connectors, depending on your needs.

Graphics Cards for Novice Gamers. If you want to do some gaming, and you’re keeping an eye on the future, get a lower-level GeForce4 MX board with 64MB of RAM–but read the fine print to make sure it will support next-generation DirectX games.

Other Shopping Tips

PC shoppers can save money and avoid unnecessary hassle by following these tips:

Don’t Buy Extra Software. Purchase an operating system, an office suite, and an antivirus package. If you really you need more, look for vendors’ software bundles.

Don’t Wait for Price Reductions. If you need a new PC now, don’t wait a few months to see whether prices will drop further and upper-end performance will improve. Decide when you need the system, and go for it.

Look for Above-Average Specs. If longevity is a priority (and if you can afford it), get something close to, but below, the current top of the line. This will extend the useful life of your PC.

Check an LCD Monitor’s Interface. Depending on the brand or model of LCD monitor, it could have one of several different interface connectors–the part that plugs into the PC. Before you buy a monitor, make sure it works with the system you want, or at least that you have a money-back guarantee.

Upgrade at the Time of Purchase. Often, you can get a better deal on a larger hard drive or a better monitor when you first order your computer. Doubling the size of a hard drive may add very little to the cost, and upgrading to a better monitor may add only $80 to $100.

Avoid Gimmicky Keyboards. Many vendors tout fancy keyboards with extra buttons for launching apps. Save some money by choosing the cheapest option unless you have a specific need for a fancier model.

Don’t Overpay on Your Warranty. Because most PC problems tend to crop up in the first year, a one-year warranty should be fine.

Buy From a Trustworthy Source. Above all, reduce your chances of getting a lemon: Buy from a PC maker you trust.

Source: PCWorld.com

PC Tips: How To Fix A Physically Broken Hard Drive

How to Fix a Physically Broken Hard Drive

Like cars, computer parts can give out when you need them most. The hard drive is one of the most important computer components. Luckily, it gives warning signs before a complete crash. “Bad Sector” or “Read/Write Errors” warn that the hard drive is failing. It is important to back up your important data at least once a week.

Step 1 Open the computer and remove the hard drive. Find and remove the drive’s logic board. Inspect the area underneath the board. Look for signs of other damage.

Step 2 Replace the board with the logic board from an identical working hard drive. If you find more damaged areas, just replace the entire hard drive.

Step 3 Test the repaired drive.

The Hard Drive Powers on and Then Goes Silent.

Step 1 Separate the logic board from the hard drive. Ground the hard drive to an electrostatic point.

Step 2 Replace the logic board and re-install the hard drive.

Step 3 Boot the hard drive. If successful, immediately back up all data. Disk utilities, like ScanDisk, can move data from bad sectors to undamaged areas. This is only a temporary solution–the drive will fail again.

Step 4 If the drive does not boot, you will need to make it a secondary drive in a different computer. Change the jumpers from “master” to “slave” position. Use Data Recovery Software to transfer your data.

Source: EHow.com

PC Tips: How to Speed up Your PC

We’ve all been there – you need to get some work done, but your PC is dragging, sluggishly completing tasks, occasionally freezing, unable to handle several open apps at once. In fact, if it were going any slower, it’d be going backwards. But there is hope. Unless your system is just too old to handle current applications, there’s no reason that you can’t give your trusty old computer an overnight performance boost.

We gathered together a list of essential tips guaranteed to squeeze a little more speed out of your underperforming desktop or laptop. Ranging from the dead simple to more complex, below you’ll find a number of easy fixes with an immediate payoff to longer projects that will increase speed if you apply a little elbow grease. Check ’em out now and thank us later, when you’ve finally rejoined the 21st century and have enough juice to fire off an email while browsing the Web.

Uninstall and Delete Unused Applications

You may like to install downloads that you think are interesting, but interest wanes, and all of those applications wind up taking up space on your hard drive, cluttering your Systray and slowing your startup process. Worse, if they are the more pesky type of apps that load at startup, they’ll always be sapping your system speed. Not using them? Then get rid of them. Here’s how.

On Windows XP, click Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features. On Windows Vista, click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program. Now, look through the list for the offending program or programs. You will likely find a bunch of junk that you didn’t even install. Select any one of them and click Remove or Uninstall. Reboot if necessary, but not until you are done uninstalling all of the programs you no longer want.

Again, many programs load at startup, which means slower boot time for you and decreased available RAM during regular use. If you have a load of icons crowding your Systray, you should disable some of them (do you really need a separate app running 24/7 on the odd chance that you’ll want to burn a DVD this very second?). To eliminate unwanted satrtup apps in Windows XP, click Start, then type in msconfig and hit Enter, then click the Startup tab. In Windows Vista, click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Change Startup Programs.

To disable startup items, uncheck the boxes next to each unwanted app. A word of warning here: Leave anything that is from Microsoft or your PC’s manufacturer alone, and don’t disable anything having to do with antivirus, networking, or programs you installed and want to run (e.g. iTunes or ZoneAlarm firewalls). But pretty much anything else – think automatic software updates, Bluetooth monitors, DVD helpers, and anything from iWin or Real – can go.

Clean Up Your Hard Drive

If you’re like the average computer user, you probably have a ton of shortcuts on the desktop and a Recycle Bin that’s filled to the brim. Granted, the shortcuts only slow you down, not your computer, and the Recycle Bin has a minimal effect on performance. But as long as you are sprucing up your PC, you may as well get rid of the clutter while you’re at it. It’s easy and quick using features built into Windows.

Start by clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup (or Start, type in Disk Cleanup and hit Enter). Choose My Files in the next window, select the drive to clean (if you have multiple drives) and hit OK. As you can see from the image below, it’s not uncommon to have gigabytes of trash junking up the place. Just select what you want to get rid of and hit OK and Delete Files. Mission accomplished.

Eliminate Adware and Spyware

Keeping your system free from adware and spyware is vital: After all, you should be the only one using your computer, and these programs can provide a serious drain on system resources.

Add Some RAM

If you can handle a screwdriver without poking an eye out, you can add RAM, or system memory, to your PC. With RAM prices at about $10 or $15 per gigabyte, this is a simple and quick upgrade that will give noticeable results and can boost speed as much as 20 percent. Check your PC manufacturer’s web site to make sure you find the correct RAM, and then buy it somewhere else. RAM makers such as Crucial and Kingston offer RAM lookup tools on their websites too.

Installing the RAM is just as easy. While it is slightly harder to access the RAM slots on a desktop, once you’re inside the case, it’s a piece of cake. For laptops, just look on the back for a panel, sometimes held in place by a screw. Once open, you can pop out the RAM chips and/or add new ones. Reboot and verify that you have the extra RAM by looking in the system preferences, by clicking Start > Control Panel > System.

Defrag That Drive

Now that you have cleaned up your PC, shuffled stuff around, and removed programs, your hard drive looks like a chunk of (virtual) Swiss cheese. It’s time to defragment.
Defragging puts all your data ducks in a row, so the hard drive does not have to waste time skipping around for the next bits and bytes. In practical terms, it puts all the data in compact blocks so that the drive can access related information quickly, improving performance.

First, click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. In the resulting box, you can schedule regular defrags, or defrag right now. The PC will analyze itself and tell you if a defragmentation is necessary. If it is, just click Defragment Now. Select the drive or drives you want defragged and click OK. Mind you, this will likely take quite a while, so now is a good time to go to bed or catch up on that novel you’ve been procrastinating on.

Final Thoughts

For another performance boost, you can always upgrade to a faster hard drive (7,200 or 10,000rpm). Though the speed increase in a faster drive is undeniable, note that you will have to back up and transfer everything to the new drive. For that reason, it is often better to simply buy up on your next PC instead of going through the hassle of installation. But however you choose to eke extra speed out of your system, at least it’s bound to go to a good cause, right?

Source: by Robert Hibbert – DigitalTrends.com

PC Tips: How to Guess Your Own Passwords

Unless your password was randomly generated, it’s probably locked away in your mind somewhere. Brute force memory retrieval (i.e. “thinking really hard”) isn’t usually very effective so what can you do to try to remember what your password was?

Easy! You need clues! Most people create passwords, even complicated ones, based on the people, places and things in their personal and professional lives. Knowing this, check out the clues below. They might give you enough edge to finally remember that password!
Try Your Other Passwords

The most obvious advice is to try some of your other passwords! Very few computer users actually create unique passwords for each account that requires one. Most people have one or two passwords that they use across all of their accounts.
Your Name

Try variations of your own name. While this isn’t a very secure way to create a password, it’s very common and you may have created your password in a similar way.
For example, if your name was Michael P Archer, common passwords might include:

* Mike1234
* MikePA
* leahcim
* archerMP

You get the idea. Try different combinations of your name and maybe even your nickname.
Names of Friends and Family

Many people use names or combinations of names of family members and friends to create passwords. If something rings a bell here or you have ever created passwords like this before, give this one a try.
Pet Information

We love our pets! Which is why many passwords include pet names and pet birthdays. If you treat your cat like your kid, chances are you’ve used his or her name as a password. Maybe you used it this time!
Birthdays

Birthdays are also very popular passwords, especially when combined with names. If Michael P Archer’s birthday was 05-June-1975, some passwords he might have come up with include:

* m060575
* 1975MPA
* archerjune
* mp75

There are a lot more possibilities here. If you think you’ve ever set a password like this, try some combinations with your information.
Home & Office Addresses

Complete or parts of addresses important in your life could have been inspiration for a password you created.
Ideas from Childhood

Something important to you as a child may be a theme throughout your passwords. Examples here are endless but maybe you had a favorite pet growing up, a name for an imaginary friend, etc. These types of ideas are popular ways to create easy to remember passwords… well, usually.
Important Numbers

Some numbers that often play a part in passwords include phone numbers (especially previous ones), social security numbers, notable sports scores, important historical dates, drivers license numbers, etc.

Another interesting way people use numbers as passwords is by how they are arranged on the computer keypad. For example, a popular combination includes 1793 because these numbers are at all four corners of the keypad. Does this sound familiar? If so, try some things here.

Try some of these number ideas in combination with some other ideas in this article like family and pet names.
Some Other Ideas

Other popular password inspirations include favorite foods, favorite places, vacation spots, celebrity names and sports teams.

If you’re pretty good at creating secure passwords, chances are you used a combination of of any of the above ideas in creating your now forgotten password.
Still Can’t Remember the Password?

If after all this mental work you still can’t remember your password, you may have to try something a little more high-tech like a password recovery program. These programs make random guesses at your password until they figure it out. It might seem a little inefficient but they guess very quickly!

Source: About.com

PC Tips: Blank Screen When Right Clicking Video Files

On certain systems, right-clicking over a video file may cause the screen to go blank.  This is caused by the context menu option “Play on my” scanning all monitors to determine monitor types and mode for video playback.  To prevent your screen from going blank, you may remove this menu option from your PC by following the instructions below:

1) Click on the Windows Start button

2) Select Run

3) In the Open field, type in “regedit” and then press the OK button. This will bring up the Windows Registry.

4) On your keyboard, press the “Ctrl” button and the “F” button at the same time to bring up the Find search window.

5) In the “Find what” field, type “PlayOnMyTV” and then press the “Find Next” button.  After it returns a result for “PlayOnMyTV”, delete the “PlayOnMyTV” folder that it points to.

6) Repeat steps 4-5 until all “PlayOnMyTV” references have been deleted.  Then exit the Windows registry.  Once you have done this, you should no longer see the context menu option “Play on my” when you right-click over a video file and the screen should not go blank either.

Source:  NVidia.com